{"id":1419,"date":"2026-08-06T10:08:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/hampton-peninsula\/?page_id=1419"},"modified":"2026-08-06T11:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:36:37","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/hampton-peninsula\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"
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About Us<\/h2>\n

Two health districts serving the residents of the Cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg, and the Counties of James City and York.<\/i><\/p>\n

Our Mission<\/strong>:<\/i>\u202fTo promote community well-being and advance health equity through data-informed decision-making and collaborative partnerships that ensure accessible and responsive services for the residents of the Virginia Peninsula.<\/p>\n

Our Vision<\/strong>:<\/i>\u202fTo cultivate communities that encourage each individual\u2019s access to resources needed to live a healthy, empowered quality of life.<\/p>\n

Our Values<\/strong>:<\/i>\u202fOur work is guided by these core values: access, equity, collaboration, respect and holistic health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Our Leadership<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Natasha Dwamena, MD, MPH, FACOG, Health District Director<\/h3>\n
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Dr. Natasha Dwamena is the Director of the Hampton and Peninsula Health Districts. She is a medical physician, Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, who hails from the New York Metropolitan area. She graduated from Stanford University with Honors and obtained her Medical Degree from New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. She completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency at Meharry Medical College, where she served as Chief Resident, in Nashville, Tennessee. She obtained her Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Prior to joining Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Dr. Dwamena has served the public and private community sectors as an OBGYN physician and surgeon for over 10 years.\u00a0She spent part of that time working as a contractor physician, enabling her to practice medicine in various healthcare settings and social conditions. Dr. Dwamena was practicing medicine in California at the onset of the COVID pandemic and during that time was on the front-line of managing the infection and bearing witness to the direct health implications of the disease.<\/p>\n

In June 2020, Dr. Dwamena began her position in VDH as the Director of Hampton and Peninsula Health Districts, which serves the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg and Poquoson, York County and James City County. As health district director, Dr. Dwamena is the chief health strategist for the 6 localities, leads and manages the public health programs and services mandated by VDH. Her duties include collaboration with local municipalities, state government, health care and community partners; serving as a public health and clinical resource for community partners; and reviewing and assessing resources needed to ensure the overall health of the approximately 500,000 Virginia residents.<\/p>\n

Throughout her career, Dr. Dwamena has contributed to and authored several reports, publications, and educational materials, maintained her involvement with the community through activities including several educational segments appearances on public access television, editorial contributions to medical publications and international medical mission work. She has a range of professional interests including reproductive health, health equity and health outcome disparities, social determinants of health, as well as health and wellness education. Dr. Dwamena remains a current Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Tes La Dieu, MPH, Community Health Improvement Manager<\/h3>\n
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Tes La Dieu is a dedicated public health professional and a proud graduate of the University of Virginia, where she earned a Master of Public Health along with dual undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Foreign Affairs. With over eight years of diverse experience in leadership and support roles, Tes advocates for Public Health 3.0 and Collective Impact, utilizing social determinants of health to guide effective health practices. Currently, Tes serves as the Population Health Manager at the Virginia Department of Health, where she has worked for five years. She played a pivotal role in the COVID-19 response, collaborating with community partners to create equity-focused vaccination clinics. In 2021, she advanced to Population Health Coordinator, where she successfully developed and secured funding for Project LEAD, HPHD\u2019s substance use disorder and opioid response initiative. Since becoming Population Health Manager in 2023, Tes has expanded the department's initiatives, including the launch of a Sexual Wellness initiative, a Healthy Hearts program, and collaboration with Emergency Preparedness and Response on community projects. She also oversees the PrEP Program. Other notable accomplishments include the 2024 HPHD Health Expo and the rollout of the 2024 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). Under her leadership, Tes has facilitated the award of over one million dollars in grant funding and achieved certification of the Hampton & Peninsula Health Districts as comprehensive harm reduction programs. A frequent guest on local news and talk shows, she passionately educates the public about HPHD\u2019s health services and initiatives. Beyond her professional endeavors, Tes is an advocate for gardening and ecological biodiversity, often providing talks in the community about the importance of native plants and their role in restoring ecosystems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Chris Layton, Business Manager <\/h3>\n
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Chris has served in various roles in local government, including the last 22 years in chief administrative officer roles with King and Queen County, Virginia, and Duck and Plymouth, North Carolina.\u00a0 Chris is a graduate of the College of William and Mary with a bachelor's degree in history and earned a master's degree in public administration from the Virginia Commonwealth University.\u00a0 Chris also completed training at the University of Virginia's Weldon\u00a0Cooper Center for Public Service Senior Executive Institute and at the University of North Carolina School Of Government\u2019s Public Executive Leadership Academy.\u00a0 Chris enjoys time with his wife, Heather, and his stepdaughter, Riley. When he is not tinkering with the multitude of household projects, he enjoys walking his four large dogs in his neighborhood in search of a number of reptiles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Amy Wagner, Nurse Manager Sr. <\/h3>\n
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With over three decades as an RN, Amy has spent fourteen years in pre and post licensure nursing education and twelve years with the Virginia Department of Health.\u00a0 Seven years have been in direct management to include time as a Public Health Nurse Supervisor.<\/p>\n

She began her nursing education in the Diploma Program at Louise Obici School of Nursing and graduated in 1991.\u00a0 Amy completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006 and her Master of Science in Nursing with a focus in Leadership from Old Dominion University in 2009.<\/p>\n

Amy began her nursing career as a staff\/charge nurse in the Emergency Department and has also worked in acute and critical care, community-based care, communicable disease, and infection prevention in clinical, educational, and managerial roles.<\/p>\n

When she is not nursing, she enjoys traveling and gardening.\u00a0 She is also an avid reader and an animal lover.\u00a0 She volunteers with the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter as much as she can.<\/p>\n

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She has two adult children.\u00a0 Her son played football and now coaches, which makes football one of her main Fall activities. Her daughter is in Florida living out her dreams in the sunshine state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Mary Wainwright, Environmental Health Manager<\/h3>\n
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Prior to becoming a supervisor, she served as an\u00a0Environmental\u00a0Health\u00a0Specialist with the Virginia Department of\u00a0Health\u00a0for two and a half years.\u00a0 Her current position involves overseeing Hampton and Peninsula\u00a0Health\u00a0Districts\u00a0environmental\u00a0health\u00a0staff members that provide restaurant, hotel, swimming pool, and onsite well and septic system inspections, rabies prevention and other public\u00a0health\u00a0related activities.\u00a0 Mrs. Wainwright received her B.A. in\u00a0Environmental\u00a0Studies from Randolph-Macon College, and her M.S. in\u00a0Environmental\u00a0Science from Christopher\u00a0Newport University.\u00a0 She holds a national Registered\u00a0Environmental\u00a0Health\u00a0Specialist (REHS) credential through the National\u00a0Environmental\u00a0Health\u00a0Association. In addition, she is currently a Standardized Food Inspector with the\u00a0Commonwealth of Virginia<\/i>\u00a0and holds multiple licenses in Occupational and Industrial Hygiene sampling for asbestos, lead, radon, as well as asbestos project design and monitoring. She has performed\u00a0environmental\u00a0inspections and assessments for lead, asbestos, mold, and indoor air quality (IAQ) and has experience in fieldwork, report writing and training. Overall, she has 15+ years of combined experience in Public\u00a0Health,\u00a0Environmental, Industrial Hygiene, and Occupational\u00a0Health\u00a0related disciplines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Our Impact<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tFY25 Annual Report\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tCollective Impact Statement\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t2025 Community Health Assessment\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t2023-2028 Community Health Improvement Plan\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t2022 Community Health Assessment\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Our Reach<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Facebook: Hampton & Peninsula Health Districts<\/h3>\n
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Instagram: hampton.peninsula.health<\/h3>\n
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About Us Two health districts serving the residents of the Cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg, and the Counties of James City and York. Our Mission:\u202fTo promote community well-being and advance health equity through data-informed decision-making and collaborative partnerships that ensure accessible and responsive services for the residents of the Virginia Peninsula. 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